sodium lauryl sulfate

1 Comment Posted on Health, Uncategorized, vegan

I’m the Crazy Guy who Actually Buys the $6 Fluoride-Free, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate-Free Toothpaste

That’s right. When you see those expensive “natural” toothpaste brands without all the mysterious chemicals and think, “Seriously, who would waste money on that?!”…

Well, now you’ve got a face. It’s me.

Though I’ve got most people fooled with my Facebook pictures, having them think I’m just a regular married man with two kids, as we enjoy a leisurely outing at the Nashville Zoo on the weekend, the truth is… I’m secretly buying that hippie toothpaste.

For the past decade, I have refused to buy “normal” toothpaste. I want some toothpaste with some character. I want some toothpaste with soul.

So whether it’s the legendary half-Jewish Dr. Bronner’s All-One Toothpaste, or some other seemingly obscure brand that also refuses to put fluoride in the product, I just typically go with the one that’s on sale. So if I’m lucky, I might only have to spend 4 or 5 bucks…

Plus, I have found that these vegan-friendly brands of toothpaste tend have more interesting flavors.

I despise mint flavored toothpaste. It’s too demanding. I don’t want to have to be consumed by the flavor of my toothpaste.

So natural cinnamon is a great fit for me. I also enjoy the anise flavor as well.

Oh, and today, I lucked out at Whole Foods and found “coconut chamomile” flavor on sale for $3.49, which was nearly 50%.

Seriously, how cool am I? Tonight I will get to brush my teeth with Jason’s “Simply Coconut Soothing Toothpaste” made with coconut oil, aloe vera juice, chamomile extract, and witch hazel water.

But no fluoride and no sodium lauryl sulfate.

Perhaps by default, I have spent most of my life being obsessed with brushing my teeth. I always brush my teeth a minimum of twice each daily, sometimes more.

I keep a toothbrush and toothpaste in my desk drawer at work, just in case the moment feels right.

As for the rest of the world, let him use minty Colgate or Crest. Let them spend half the amount of money as I do on toothpaste.

Meanwhile, I’ll be the crazy guy declaring, “It’s all a big conspiracy, man. The government’s been secretly putting small amounts of toxic fluoride in our drinking water…” as I brush my teeth with six dollar toothpaste void of such similar evil corporate agendas.

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Why This Dad Despises Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

January 8, 2012 at 8:23 pm , by 

13 months.

Just for the record, I similarly loathe high-fructose corn syrup too!

Here’s a new concept: When we put any substance on or in our bodies, it is ultimately the same as digesting it.

So what about the shampoo, soap, deodorant, and toothpaste we use? What’s actually in that stuff? Check your labels and I’m pretty sure you’ll find the ever-popular and uber-mysterious ingredient known “sodium lauryl sulfate.”

Basically, it’s made by scientifically mutating the fatty acids of coconut and/or palm kernel oil. (Either I’m really smart or I went to Wikipedia for that.)

I have to be honest; I always feel uneasy when we start talking about mutating the cells of anything, because really, that’s what cancer is: mutated cells.

Well, I would be able to look past that part if it weren’t for one little thing: products with sodium lauryl sulfate always cause my skin to break out. Therefore, I have to buy most of my hygiene products at Whole Foods, where sodium lauryl sulfate will not be listed in the ingredients list.

It would be one thing if this only happened to me, along with thousands of other people who have suffered irritation, but it also has the same effect on my 13 month-old son.

My wife and I were using a popular brand-name, “organic” baby soap for him in the bath tub. After a few days, we noticed the same eczema-looking rash I used to get. I looked at the back label of the soap and sure enough, there it was:

Sodium lauryl sulfate.

Man, companies can be tricky these days, wanting to slip that stuff in all their products. I see it as the hygiene equivalent of high-fructose corn syrup; the cheap, low-grade, Frankenstein-corn-derived sweetener found in most processed foods, thanks to the folks at Monsanto, who bully corn farmers into growing their copyrighted corn. (I learned that by watching Food Inc. on Netflix. I’m one cultured dude.)

So yeah, I have to pay a little more for toiletries that are made from natural ingredients, for both my son and myself. But on the bright side, my toothpaste flavor is “tea tree oil with fennel and anise.” Seriously, how cool am I? My breath smells like anise.

Wait, that doesn’t sound right…

For more on sodium lauryl sulfate, check out the Wikipedia link I went to for further research:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_lauryl_sulfate

Image: Dental brush with tooth paste, via Shutterstock.